Photos

To go with China-Japan-history-WWII-military-diplomacy,FOCUS by Neil Connor
A woman takes a photo in front of the portraits of Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) and former leaders Mao Zedong (L), Deng Xiaoping (2nd L), Jiang Zemin (C) and Hu Jintao (2nd L) at the Museum of the War of the Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, during ceremonies opening an exhibition to mark the anniversary of the Marco Polo Bridge Incident in 1937, near the bridge in Beijing on July 7, 2015. The skirmish on July 7, 1937 -- whose exact cause remains murky -- served as pretext for Tokyo's forces to seize Beijing, triggering eight years of full-scale war, which China says saw more than 20 million of its citizens die. The ceremonies on July 7 fit into months of commemorations for the 70th anniversary of the end of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, as Beijing calls the global conflict. AFP PHOTO / WANG ZHAOWANG ZHAO/AFP/Getty Images